Nikon D300 Modes and Menus

Nikon D300 Modes

The Nikon D300 doesn't have a mode dial, but instead has a mode button. The current exposure mode is displayed on the LCD and viewfinder and can be changed by pressing this button and rotating the main (rear) command dial. Available exposure modes are: P (Programmed Auto), S (Shutter Priority), A (Aperture Priority) or M (Manual). Like all pro and semi-pro Nikons, the D300 doesn't offer any scene modes.

Programmed Auto: Lets the camera control the shutter speed and aperture settings, although you can vary its choices by turning the Command dial (that is, you can increase or decrease the aperture the camera has chosen, and the camera will vary the shutter speed to maintain the same overall exposure value. Once you've chosen an offset in the aperture/shutter combination, the camera will continue to control the exposure automatically, while maintaining the aperture/shutter bias you've selected.) This ability to select a persistent bias for the exposure system is very useful, in many cases more so than conventional Aperture or Shutter Priority metering (see below). This is because the "tweaked" Program AE will track even radical changes in subject lighting, not being constrained to a single aperture or shutter speed.

Aperture Priority: Allows you to set the aperture value while the camera automatically selects the appropriate shutter speed. Available apertures will vary with the lens in use.

Shutter Speed Priority: Allows you to set the shutter speed value while the camera automatically selects the appropriate aperture. Shutter speeds range from 1/8,000 to 30 seconds in this mode.

Manual: Lets you select both the aperture value and shutter speed, and increases the shutter speed range to include a Bulb setting for exposures longer than 30 seconds.

Nikon D300 Menus

Pressing the Menu button provides access to the camera's full menu system.

Playback Menu Options

Top-Level
Selection

Second-Level

Third-Level

Notes

Delete

- Selected
- All

- Selected Image
- All pictures

Deletes pictures from the camera memory card. Hidden and protected images will not be deleted.

Playback Folder

- ND300
- All
- Current

Select a folder for playback.

Hide Image

- Select/set
- Deselect all?

Reveal or hide selected images.

Display Mode

- Done

- Basic photo info
- Highlights
- Focus point

Allows you to select what shooting information is displayed with the picture during playback.

- Detailed photo info

- RGB histogram
- Data

Image Review

- On
- Off

Lets you choose to see the image right after shooting it or not.

After Delete

- Show next
- Show previous
- Continue as before

Lets you choose which remaining picture will be displayed after a picture is deleted.

Rotate Tall

- On
- Off

Allows pictures that were shot in portrait orientation to be rotated correctly on the LCD monitor.

Slide Show

- Start

- OK

Allows you to create a slide show of existing pictures with your choice of interval between pictures. Hidden pictures will not be displayed.

- Frame interval

- 2 s
- 3 s
- 5 s
- 10 s

Print Set (DPOF)

- Select/set

- Select image screen

Allows you to select which pictures to print on a DPOF compatible printer.

- Deselect all?

- Remove print marking from all images?
- Yes
- No

Shooting Menu Options

Top-Level
Selection

Second-Level

Third-Level

Notes

Shooting Menu Bank

- A
- B
- C
- D

- Rename screen

This allows you to set up 4 different menu banks and lets you customize these options to your liking. These options stay set when you turn the camera off. The names can be changed if needed.

Decides if the camera will automatically orient your picture properly for viewing during playback

USB

- Mass Storage
- MTP/PTP

Selects a connection option to a computer or a PictBridge printer

Dust Off Ref Photo

- Start
- Clean sensor then start

- Take photo of bright featureless white object 10cm from lens. Focus will be set to infinity

Captures the reference data used to filter out dust electronically

Battery Info

- Batt. meter %
- Pic. meter (nnn)
- Calibration
- Charging life

Gives very detailed information about battery condition, age and shots fired on this battery

Wireless Transmitter

- Mode
- Transfer settings
- Print
- Device info
- Device settings

Select various settings for use with a wireless network

Image Authentication

- On
- Off

Allows you to turn image authentication on for photos about to be taken for detection by Nikons image authentication software

Save/Load Settings

- Save settings
- Load settings

Allows you to Save specific settings to the memory card. These are described in the manual

GPS

- Auto Meter off

- Enable
- Disable

When a GPS unit is connected to the camera it can record latitude, longitude, altitude, time and heading information. See manual for specific GPS units the camera has been tested with

- Position

Non-CPU Lens Data

- Done

- OK

Allows you specify data for lenses without CPU's to allow them to use some functions of CPU equipped lenses. Up to 9 lenses can be entered. See manual for full details

- Lens Number

- 1 thru 9

- Focal Length

- 6 thru 4000

- Maximum aperture

- f1.2 thru f22

AF Fine Tune

- AF fine tune

- On
- Off

Allows you to enter focus correction factors to fine tune focusing with lenses that you define via this menu. See manual for full details

- Saved value

- -20 thru + 20 units

- Default

- -20 thru + 20 units

- List saved values

- previously saved values

Firmware Version

- A

-Version

Displays which firmware version the camera is using

- B

-Version

Retouch Menu Options

Top-Level
Selection

Second-Level

Third-Level

Notes

D-Lighting

- Picture selection

- Normal
- High
- Low

Adjusts the D-lighting to brighten shadows

Red-Eye Correction

- Picture selection

Allows you to remove Red-eye from your pictures. It saves the new picture and retains the old one

Trim

- Picture selection

- Trim screen

Allows you to crop a picture. It saves the new picture and retains the old one

Monochrome

- Black-and-white
- Sepia
- Cyanotype

- Selection screen

Allows you to copy pictures to black and white, sepia or cyanotype

Filter Effects

- Skylight
- Warming

- Selection screen

Selects the time that an image is displayed on the LCD monitor after the picture is taken.

Color Balance

- Selection window

- Adjustment screen

Allows you to change the color balance via the adjustment window

Image Overlay

- Selection window

- Image overlay screen

Allows you to take 2 Raw images and combine them into a third picture

Side-By-Side Comparison

- Select a picture, press OK

- Comparison screen

This option does not appear on the menu screen until you select an image that has already been retouched. Once it is selected you press the Menu button and this option will be there. It lets you compare your retouched image with your original image.